I wasn't sure I would enjoy this. I don't love Hollywood romance stories, and I may have groaned when I got to the miscommunication trope, but it is lovely! It is slower paced but felt appropriate during her growth period, as if we were processing with her. I really would recommend this for fans of Evvie Drake. They have much in common, but not in a way that feels rehashed. Both are empathetic, thoughtful coming-of-mid-age stories. This one is very funny though. Definitely recommend.

Oh my god...I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did (?!). Another one-sitting read for me. I'll admit, you kind of need to let go of reality when coming into this book. If you are someone who enjoys a very realistic, relatable read, this might be a stretch for you as it is quite far-fetched in my opinion. If you're able to suspend judgement and a need for reality to just dive into a story for pure pleasure and fun, this is for you. It was funny, delicious, glossy, and heartbreaking at times. From page one, I was instantly hooked on Monaghan's style and I found myself laughing out loud at times. I have mixed thoughts on the ending. Not sure if it went in the direction I would've liked to see it go in BUT that did not take away from how much I enjoyed this book. It felt like a true treat to cuddle up in a cozy bed and dive into this story headfirst. Escapism at its finest. Highly recommend!

I absolutely loved this book! This is the best book I have read in a while. Between the author’s humorous character inner dialogue and the loveable family unit I was cheering for a happy ending the whole time! This book took me on a ride and I loved everything about it, ups, downs, highs and happily ever after! It’s a must read!

This book was DELIGHTFUL.

This story follows Nora, a recently divorced single mother of two, who writes screenplays for The Romance Channel ((think Hallmark)). In the aftermath of her divorce, she writes a screenplay about the downfall of her marriage, and to her surprise it gets sold to a huge Hollywood production company who casts former Sexiest Man Alive and a-list actor Leo Vance to play her ex-husband. Next thing she knows, a film crew is crashing on her lawn, using her property as the setting for the movie. As filming wraps up, Leo persuades Nora to let him stay for a week and the two begin to form a deep connection as Leo gets to live a normal life out of the spotlight for the first time in his career. And that’s only the beginning.

When I first picked this book up, I was expecting a whirlwind Hollywood romance that would make me wish I was getting swept away by a famous movie star, but what I got was so much more than that. This book was full of longing, hoping, and some DELICIOUS tension in the second half of the book.I’m also a sucker for love interests bonding with the MCs children ((not everyone’s cup of tea I know)) and the way Leo immediately bonds with Nora’s two kids is so endearing and swoon worthy.

This is not your typical spicy Hollywood romance. In fact it’s really not spicy at all. This is a wonderful story about a mother constantly doing what is best for her children while hoping for a second chance at love.

My only criticism is that i felt there were quite a few pacing issues. At times it felt like parts of the story were lacking important details, and others it felt like we were given much more info than needed. It also jumped from day to day a little too fast for my liking, but overall a VERY enjoyable read!

Nora writes twee romances. But when her husband leaves her and their two kids, she writes a more serious script, one that gets purchased and then requires filming in a very specific location in the tea house in the backyard of her small-town home. Who could predict that she would fall in love with the Hollywood actor who arrives to play her douchey ex-husband?

Okay, listen. It would be easy for me to nitpick about this book. Would I say that the characters have the MOST development I've ever read? No. Is the relationship a tiny bit insta-lovey? Sure. Do I care? Not at all.

It gave me the feels that I get from watching an intentionally saccharine Hallmark romance, which is ironic because that's essentially what Nora writes as a career. I thought the dialogue was realistic and charming. I LOVED the small town feel, and how much everyone was invested in Nora's relationship with Leo. The family dynamics of this really clinched it for me, especially Leo's relationship with Nora's two kids Arthur and Bernadette.

There are basically no steamy scenes to speak of, though there is some innuendo and kissing. But this was just a sweet, earnest, lovely good time that left me feeling warm inside.

I definitely see the Evvie Drake comparison, which is similarly about a woman trying to find her new normal after no longer being married and then having an unexpected romance with a famous person, also taking place in a small town.

“As we make our way to the stage door, I say, ‘Stop it.’
‘What?’
‘The smoldering.’
He stops walking. ‘I don’t smolder you.’
I turn to face him, and I just ask it. ‘Why not?’
Leo holds my gaze. ‘I wish I knew.’”

What a sweet celebrity romance! I loved the small-town setting, the ordinariness of the relationship amidst the Hollywood backdrop, the inclusion of a single mom with awesome kids, and the amazing families that Leo and Nora had. Like, seriously, I absolutely loved Nora’s parents. They were hilarious. This book is bingeable, filled with both funny one-liners and angst, and makes for a great romance read. I thought it was really well paced, but I could have read even more! I wasn’t sure about the wrench that was thrown into it to mess up the relationship, but it played out really well in the end.

“But time and sunshine bring growth, and life unfolds just the way it’s supposed to.”

Thanks so much to Putnam for the copy of this ARC!

I’ve been on a roll with celebrity romances lately and was excited to read another. Nora’s husband left her and their two kids. She is a screenwriter and turns her story of her husband into a movie. But when Hollywood rolls in to her small town to film, Leo - the actor playing her husband - stays on her property long after the rest of the cast and crew leave.

There’s so much I liked about this one.
💚 I enjoyed the humor. So many funny one-liners.
💚 I adored Nora’s kids and how they played a huge role in the book.
💚 I loved Nora’s family and friends.

Unfortunately though I didn’t feel the romance in this one like I hoped. This book could have actually benefited from being 50-100 pages longer to get some more love on the pages. The miscommunication trope plays a big role too, and that’s one of my biggest pet peeves about romance books.

Though none of that stopped me from enjoying the book. The thing that pushed it from 4 to 3 stars was the inconsiderate humor at times. There’s a line that uses humor about assault victims, and that is never okay. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Overall it’s a quick and enjoyable read though.

Nora Goes Off Script completely took me by surprise! A beautiful, engaging love story that flowed so perfectly! I was left feeling a lot of different emotions. 1 - Single parents are super heros! 2 - Celebrities are humans too, most of them. 3 - Relationships of any kind are subject to miscommunication. We need to say what we are feeling, when we are feeling it.
I was enchanted with the tea house and want to know if this was inspired by a real place. I need to see it!
Thank you again for allowing me into Nora and Leo's world. I would love to see these characters again please!

I rarely read romance but I heard about this book from a trusted bookseller and I absolutely loved it. The writing was so good, the characters were fully formed, and it was just believable enough, but also highly relatable. I am thankful for this ARC so that I can tell all of my non-romance-reading friends to get this as soon as it publishes. I loved the cover too!

Nora is a recently divorced mom of 2 and a screenwriter who normally writes fluffy movies for a romance channel. Her latest script, though, is about her and her deadbeat ex-husband and is expected to be big, with A-list stars attached. The last place to film is at her home where Nora meets Leo Vance, the actor who plus her husband.

They get done filming and Leo asks to stay there for another week. Nora and Leo hit it off immediately and within 3 weeks, have fallen in love. He eventually has to leave to shoot another film and things happen and the relationship changes.

I loved this book! It’s so realistic to me and maybe that’s because I also have 2 kids and am a similar age to Nora. I loved reading about a FMC having life issues and her kids were a great part of the story.

The rhythm of the book was really good and all of the minor characters added to the story. I fell in love with all of it.

This is a short novel and I wish that I was able to read more of it and be in their world for a little bit longer. The twist was surprising but just added to the story and made sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve had to rewrite this a couple of times bc I’m having trouble putting it into words how much I loved this book. I don’t think it was anything special or magical about the story specifically, but I think that’s why I loved it so much? Bc it wasn’t special or magical. Everything about this book felt so real and normal. Despite the fact that Nora is a screenwriter who wrote a movie about her failed marriage, who then falls for the star of that movie bc he just decided he wanted to stay at her house bc he liked it. Everything about Nora and Leo felt so normal. She was just showing him how to live a ‘normal’ life. She was able to finally feel loved and appreciated and praised, everything she was missing from her marriage. Leo was struggling with the loss of his mom and Nora and her kids provided him with some normalcy. It was so sweet to see the way they all just melted together so easily. The four of them so quickly became a little family unit. Arthur and Bernadette were perfect. They both had their own personalities and it was written so perfectly. The middle was ROUGH let me tell you. BUT even while Nora is mourning the loss of Leo, she is growing and learning from everything that she just went through; from both her ex husband and Leo. At the end of the book her friend tells her that she needed that time so she could finally be fully ready for the relationship and it’s so spot on (even though I hated every second they were apart).

The pacing felt slow and I usually don’t like that, but it was absolutely perfect in this book. It felt very Nora and Leo. Even the miscommunication, once we know what’s happening, was good, again something I don’t love, but it was so good here.

I got this ARC from NetGalley and Putnam in exchange for an honest review. It comes out June 7th and I cannot wait for everyone to read this!

This book was everything! I’m a sucker anytime there are books with kids in them. The family stuff always gets me. Nora was great. Her kids are great. Ugh LEO. I want my real life Leo. I don’t usually like the miscommunication trope but it worked for this one. I read it in a matter of hours and stayed up too late on a work night finishing it. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!! You won’t want to miss this one

I really enjoyed Nora. I felt she was fantastic. The book was short and sweet, and didn't add a ton of unnecessary fluff. The whole reason why they broke up just seemed crazy to me. For two people that really talked about how much they communicated and naturally had great chemistry, I just don't believe why they didn't question what was going on. Nora herself again was great. She is a strong independent single mom. I loved how she valued her kids, had mostly real conversations with them, put them first. I love how she wasn't afriad to finally step away from her husband and continue to work. The romance channel talks were fun, a nod to hallmark movies which are so cheesey but I love them.

This small town meets Hollywood story is a great pick for fans of women’s fiction with closed door romance. There are a lot of fun and heartfelt moments, but I was a little tripped up by the pacing. Still, this overall is a cute and enjoyable read.

3.5 ⭐️ A cute, slightly cheesy/cliche, romance read. I found Nora to be a likeable MC, and her pursuit of happiness as a single mother was well-written. Generally speaking, I really enjoyed her kids as well— their characters were substantive and added to the story. There were some aspects that I didn’t care for, and the ending was definitely rushed. However, this is a short and enjoyable read that’s perfect for the beginning of spring!

I absolutely devoured this book. I'm still swooning with happy tears in my eyes! I loved every single chapter, every single word. How have I not read anything else by this author?
I would give more than 5 stars if I could. Highly recommend for anyone that loves a good, heartfelt romance with a few laughs.

I really enjoyed the development of these characters, especially when it came to the kids. And I loved that Nora took what happened in her marriage to “flip the script” and make something positive happen for her family out of it.

I went back and forth on whether to rate this 4 stars or 5. Settled on 4 because of the last quarter-ish of the book taking a turn I wasn’t expecting. Overall, it was really well written, and it definitely kept me turning the pages to see how it would end.

This was such a quick, enjoyable romance/fiction read! If you like Hallmark movies you’re going to love Nora Goes Off Script. An easy 4 stars.

I loved this story!! I will say it definitely leans more towards a women’s fiction book with a closed-door romance than a true contemporary romance. I got Love, Lists and Fancy Ships vibes as I was reading.

Nora is a recently divorced mother of two and screenwriter who wrote a movie about the downfall of her marriage. Most of he work is sold to The Romance Channel (think Hallmark), except this one, which is expected to make it big. The director casts A-list movie stars and the last place to film is at her house in upstate NY. There, Nora meets Leo Vance, the actor playing her husband. When filming wraps up, Leo persuades Nora to let him stay at her house in return for an offer she can’t say no to. The two open up to each other right off the bat and form a deep connection as Leo gets to live a “normal life” out of the spotlight for the first time.

What I loved (honestly there was so much and I can’t write it all):
-The celebrity meets regular person and they fall in love
-The single-mom and second chance romance trope
-The writing felt very light-hearted and uplifting despite dealing with some heavier topics; perfect for a beach read
-The setting! I totally fell for the small town of Laurel Ridge and the Tea House
-Nora’s relationship with her kids and how she put them first over everything and made sure they had the opportunity to participate in all activities even when money was tight
-LEO!!
-How Leo bonded with Nora’s kids right away and how they loved him back. There was something special when you got to see him help out with Arthur’s 5th grade play and become invested in Bernie’s soccer games
-All of Leo’s “firsts,” especially his first trip to the grocery store. Will forever laugh when I see bananas in the grocery store.
-Nora’s career as screenwriter and how she wrote a major hit based on her own life experiences. Also, the game Nora and Leo play where she creates a film about any setting/ character Leo comes up with using the same formula. You will get a lot of Hallmark movie feels when you’re reading!
-The morning sunrises 😊😊

I will say that a good chunk of this book was centered around a conflict between Nora and Leo. I’m not usually one for conflicts and angst, but when you do find out what happened and why, it does make sense. Still, I think we could have used at least 100 more pages (the book is only 272 pages) before this conflict to see Nora and Leo as a couple. While I am a sucker for dual POVs, this is told only through Nora’s perspective. However, because of what happens in the conflict, it makes a lot of sense!

Thanks PENGUIN House Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC! Pub date: 6/7/22

There was something about the synopsis of this book that immediately held my attention, and the second I opened the book that attention held all the way through to the end.

It was a terrific read-- it made my heart both warm and ache.

The second half of the book particularly gripped me. My heart was clenched, feeling so much sympathy for Nora and wondering just how could this Hollywood romance rescue itself. Overall, this book had me processing so many emotions-- happiness and sadness, cheer and anger, thrill and anxiety. I bought into most of it, and it sped me through the end-- because this wasn't a story I could easily put down. I was hooked, and I was desperate to know how it would end, to know if the pressure on my chest would be lifted with gladness or, like Nora's screenplay, I'd find no happily ever after.

I did think there was something missing during the first half of the book. While we see Nora and Leo spend time together-- I am not convinced we had enough of the falling-in-love part of the story developed. It felt too quick paced-- and considering the steady pace in the second half of the book, it overall gave a disjointed effect. And as much as I loved the second half of the book, I do wonder if our leads were kept apart for a bit too long.

Nevertheless, the book came to a grand finish. I really enjoyed the ending.

What took me by surprise in this romance were the number of times my expectations were subverted. It provided a really refreshing angle to a familiar tale of love. It's a story that I absolutely will recommend to all lovers of romance.